Real Life

Αληθινή Ζωή
Alithini Zoi

“We are what our families and lives make us… no-one escapes destiny.”

After a long stretch in detox, twenty-seven-year-old Aris returns home to live with his mother, a mainstay of Athenian high society. Egocentric and manipulative, she lives with her devoted gardener and lover, Christos, in an opulent villa renowned for having the deepest swimming pool in Europe. However, their magnificent house is a backdrop for family drama and painful secrets.
Aris has never recovered from the trauma caused by his father’s mysterious death years earlier. Once back home, Aris attempts to rebuild his life and overcome his destructive impulses, but past temptations resurface in the form of Joy, his cocaine-addicted ex-girlfriend, and Nikos, his former drug dealer. His only positive development - a burgeoning relationship with down-to-earth designer Alexandra - is stymied by the machinations of his mother and Joy, who guard him jealously. In the meantime, Christos sets in motion a series of revelations that shed new light on Aris father’s death. Unable to cope with it all, Aris succumbs once again to narcotics.
Dimitri Eipides, Toronto International Film Festival 2004, website


Director: Panos Koutras | Rating: R 18+ | 2004 | Drama - Fantasy | 112 minutes | Greek with French dialogue and English subtitles

Director's Bio - Panos Koutras

Born in Athens, Panos studied at the London International Film School and the Sorbonne in Paris. He wrote and directed several shorts until 1995, when he co-founded the film production company “100% Synthetic Films”. He made his first feature film in 2000.

PRINCIPAL CAST

Nikos Kouris (Aris), Themis Bazaka (Kalliga), Marina Kalogirou (Alexandra), Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos (Nikos), Yiannis Diamantis (Christos), Anna Mouglalis (Joy), Maria Panourgia (Sylvia)

AWARDS

45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2004
Greek Film Critics Association (PEKK) award 2004
 

DIRECTOR's – PREVIOUS FILMS

1983 The Belch of Lydia Von Burer (Short Film)

1984 Misty Days of Spring (Short Film)

1987 Afternoon Stars (Short Film)

1988 Strange Relationships (Short Film)

1991 The Fall and Rise of Lydia Von Burer (Short Film)

2000 The Attack of the Giant Moussaka

2004 Real Life

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2004
29th Toronto International Film Festival 2004 (Official Selection-Contemporary World Cinema)
B-Est International Film Festival 2005 (Official Selection)
Berlinale 2005, 55th Berlin International Film Festival ( European Film Market Selection)


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